Learnings from Leaders: the P&G Alumni Podcast

“Make every decision in your career on the basis of values and principles, and you will be successful.” Fernando Aguirre is the former CEO of Chiquita Brands International, and currently a Professional Baseball Owner - as CEO of the Erie SeaWolves (AA affiliate for the Detroit Tigers), and Vice-chair of Myrtle Beach Pelicans (Advanced A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs). Fernando also owned a minority position in the Cincinnati Reds for 14 years before divesting in 2019. Fernando got his start at P&G - where he worked for 23+ years - during which he was President of P&G Brazil. Fernando currently serves on several boards - some of which include CVS Health, Synchrony Financial, and Duke’s Fuqua school of business. He’s previously served on the boards of Aetna, Coca Cola, Levi’s, Univision, and USC’s Marshall School of Business. Fernando’s been active in the Coach K Center on Leadership and Ethic, the International Board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, received the NFL's Hispanic Heritage Leadership award in 2011. AND - He was the first Hispanic CEO to participate in CBS’s Undercover Boss. In a spanning conversation of fantastic stories, get ready for some lessons learned across cultures, and around the world. This is a replay from one of our earliest episodes in 2021 - celebrating Hispanic P&G Alumni leadership this Hispanic Heritage Month. Got a favorite past guest, or idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

"Recruit the right people with the right principles." Jorge Montoya was President of P&G Latin America from 1999-2004. Having spent 30 years rising through the ranks of P&G - his expertise extends across all international business. Jorge currently serves on the boards of Gap, Inc and Kroger - and was named among the 50 most important Hispanics in Business & Technology. His foundation with his wife supports underserved children’s education in Peru and Venezuela. Jorge shares his story - growing up in Peru (the son of a teacher), becoming an All-America NCAA soccer player, and setting up a company in a foreign country. He shares the importance of building a business culture without compromising ethics and integrity. And ultimately, for Jorge, the most important results come from growing your business, and growing your organization. This is a replay from one of our earliest episodes in 2020 - celebrating Hispanic P&G Alumni leadership this Hispanic Heritage Month. Got a favorite past guest, or idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“Distraction is not a technology problem or a moral failing. The vast majority of distraction is simply that you have not learned the skill of dealing with discomfort. Master internal triggers, or they will become your master.” Nir Eyal is a best-selling author and instructor working at the intersection of psychology, technology, and business. In a research-driven conversation about his latest book “INDISTRACTABLE - How to Control Your Attention and Choose Your Life,” we learn about what really drives distraction — which is less about flashy external stimuli, and more about our own internal discomfort. The good news is, it’s not out of reach, by better understanding our internal triggers - it just might be possible to get back to a focus that feels so far gone. The good news is, It's not out of reach, and Nir shares some great tips to get started. Indistractable received critical acclaim, winning the Outstanding Works of Literature Award as well as being named one of the Best Business and Leadership Books by The Globe and Mail and Amazon, and among the Best Personal Development Books of the Year by Audible. Nir is also the author of “Hooked: How to Build Habit-Forming Products” — his books have resonated with readers worldwide, selling over 1 million copies in over 30 languages. Nir’s writing and work has been featured in The New York Times, Bloomberg Businessweek, The Harvard Business Review, The M.I.T. Technology Review, Time Magazine, Psychology Today. Nir co-founded and sold two tech companies since 2003, and invests in habit-forming products that improve users’ lives including Eventbrite (NYSE:EB), Anchor.fm (acquired by Spotify), Kahoot!, Canva, Homelight, Product Hunt, Marco Polo, Byte Foods, FocusMate, Dynamicare, Wise App, and Sunnyside. Nir previously taught in the Business and Design schools at Stanford University, and Nir attended The Stanford Graduate School of Business and Emory University. This is a re-airing of a podcast conversation from P&G Alumni Podcast co-host Sharad Lal’s other top podcast “HOW TO LIVE” - for lots more great conversations with Sharad and thought leaders, subscribe to How To Live wherever you get your favorite podcasts, or visit howtolive.life Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“He bears witness - in a very disarming way - what's really going on in this country.” “It’s often expressed without a single word, vivid enough that It hits a bit differently — It's not sugar coated —  this is what they're up against.” BURMA CHRONICLES is the 2007 graphic travelog by French-Canadian cartoonist Guy Delisle — which presents a personal and distinctively humorous glimpse into a political hotspot on the other side of the world, where the Delisle balances his ex-pat home-husbandry, the spinning politics a quasi-authoritarian state, and finding a way as a foreign cartoonist amidst a South Asian junta. You’ll enjoy this This is a bonus, candid conversation between co-hosts Raman & Drew from another podcast, covering a lots of interesting comics, travel, and life learnings.  LEARN MORE BOOK: goodreads.com/book/show/5596923-burma-chronicles BURMA: wikipedia.org/wiki/Myanmar DREW: AndrewTarvin.com

“It's not all a straight line up — there are ups and downs. Success is defined just as much in the times where you struggle and you pick yourself up and you continue going.” Samantha Avivi is the CMO at Bayer Consumer Health, North America. She has over 30 years of experience in 40+ countries, working with some of the world’s largest brands and companies - from Y&R, BBDO, P&G, Kimberly Clark, ADT, Tenneco, and Advance Auto Parts. Sam grew up in Florida and before moving to NYC to rise through the ranks of the ad agency world before taking a chance on a mock-interview at P&G. Her journey is a reminder of the importance of curiosity, and being open to non-linear paths for personal and professional learning. Sam attended the University of Florida, is married to her high school sweetheart, has 3 kids, and is an avid runner. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on the influence of family and exploring new and different paths to find what truly makes us happy. This conversation was hosted by Ida Abdalkhani, Change Catalyzer — an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, and P&G Alumni Board Member.

“ These obelisks are the world's first globally distributed product. Layers and layers of history - these obelisks moved around and stand in modern societies — that's a story to tell.” Mark Ciccone is a P&G Alum and author of the new book “OBELISK ODYSSEY: 26 Ancient Monoliths, 4 Continents, and 1 Monumental Search for Meaning.” With a presence on four continents, the 26 surviving granite monuments are history's most mysterious objects. and meaningful man made objects, each with its own voice and message for the world. Mark set out to see each one, embarking on a six month, 25, 000 mile odyssey from his town of Boston to Egypt, England, Italy, Israel, Turkey, Lebanon, and beyond, to discover what these ancient voices have to say about religion, technology, tribalism, and conflicts of all kinds. You can purchase OBELISK ODYSSEY here: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0DCKP9PNL After 32 years with P&G, Mark became a consultant, first with the Monitor Group in Cambridge, Massachusetts, then as President of Retail Net Group, a boutique consulting firm specializing in retail innovation. Mark also is an instructor at Duquesne University’s semester abroad program in Rome where he has taught several undergraduate business classes. In semi retirement, Mark found meaning lying in the stone quarries of North Africa, the Egyptian obelisk. In this conversation amongst longtime Alum friends, you’ll hear about Mark + Qaisar’s many adventures, conversations, and reflections across the world. Hosting this conversation is longtime friend of the pod Qaisar Shareef, a fellow P&G alum and author, who’s led many parts of the organization from Pakistan to Ukraine to the US. This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“There is no bigger weight than the weight of trust. One of my leadership mantras became: You never need to earn my trust. You can only lose it.” Ravi Chaturvedi is an experienced leader with a proven track record of success across seven countries, both developed and developing. Ravi became P&G’s first ever Asian President and member of the Global Leadership Council, after a 2 decade long career with the company. Ravi was also Group Chief Executive of Jet Airways for a short tenure.Ravi has also served as a consultant and advisor to the Nitto Denko Corporation in Japan. For the CEO Council of Lighthouse Funds, Ravi advised portfolio CEOs of companies across industries. He’s also served as advisor to Marico and to Emami, Indian consumer goods companies that are expanding internationally.Ravi is a Senior Fellow in the Management Department of the Wharton School of Business, and has been a Lecturer at the University of Pennsylvania. Ravi received his BA from the University of Delhi, and Master of Management Studies from the Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Master of Management Studies. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation between old colleagues - and hear the wisdom that has impacted many leaders from Ravi’s storied career. This is part of our Asian leaders series - hosted by P&G Alumni Emily Chang. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode? Reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

“What does balance look like? It doesn't mean 50/50 all the time or 100% and zero. Balance is something that happens over time, it's a flow. It's not just an everyday balance - it's more like an ongoing balance.” Mary Carmen Gasco-Buisson is Pandora Jewelery’s CMO & SVP of Global Business Units, and a member of the company’s Executive Leadership Team. Mary Carmen’s 25+ years of experience across multiple industries - and cultures - have given her a unique perspective on navigating the elusive-for-many idea of “work /life” balance and creating structures that enable longer-term flow. She has more than 20 years of experience building and expanding consumer brands in categories such as fragrances, beauty, personal care, and women’s health. Mary Carmen previously served as Unilever’s Global Vice President working on mens personal care brands like Axe & Lynx. She spent 22+ years at P&G, getting her start as a product development engineer, and rising thru roles in brand and general management - from Haircare, Cosmetics, Skincare, Prestige Fragrances, Consumer Health, and P&G Ventures. Mary Carmen has a B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Cornell University and an MBA from Xavier University. You’ll enjoy this candid conversation on the importance of advocacy in one’s career, and clarity on priorities and the development of frameworks to create the life you want  This conversation is hosted by Ida Abdalkhani, Change Catalyzer — an award-winning entrepreneur, speaker, and P&G Alumni Board Member.

“ Money and time are eerily linked. There's free time, leisure time, time off, flex time, and down time. When we manage ourselves well, we have more freedom and better lives.” Bob Gilbreath is longtime friend of the Pod, and fellow P&G Alum - who's also a repeat startup founder with two exits. His latest post “Mind on your Money, Time and Freedom” is a continuation of last week’s post on time/mind management. For us, we need to remember that money and time are often linked. We spend time, save time, invest time, and buy time. Freedom is entwined with time, too. There’s free time, leisure time, time off, flex time, and downtime. Bob shares ways to improve your life by making better daily decisions about time, money, and freedom. From the basic, tactical choices — to laddering up to big-picture strategy with a personal story from his childhood that still drives him today. Bob now serves as Co-Founder and CEO of Hearty, a people-tech company, as well as a few other interesting ventures. While at P&G, Bob worked on brands like Tide and Mr. Clean - and Mr. Clean Auto Dry, and even Fit fruit and vegetable wash. Bob authored books and shares real-life stories of his business ups-and-downs in his weekly newsletter “the Workaround” - which you can subscribe to @ beheartly.substack.com This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com

"We have more free time than ever — but why does it feel like we are so busy? We have more freedom and decision making options than ever — so we've got to add new programming to our lives." Bob Gilbreath is longtime friend of the Pod, and fellow P&G Alum - who's also a repeat startup founder with two exits. His latest post “Time Management is Mind Management” covers To-Don't Lists, Asynchronicity, Meeting Strategically and People Power. While countless books, blogs, podcasts, and software solutions aim to help us better manage our calendars, inboxes, feeds, and habits — we lack time to listen to or learn from them. And it feels like once we manage some part of our day, two more new things suck us in. Bob hit a breakthrough in the past few years when I realized a higher level of the game: Managing our minds better is critical to managing our time better. You’ll hear strategic ways to understand and choose ways of living that give you more time back and make more meaningful moments throughout your day. Bob now serves as Co-Founder and CEO of Hearty, a people-tech company, as well as a few other interesting ventures. While at P&G, Bob worked on brands like Tide and Mr. Clean - and Mr. Clean Auto Dry, and even Fit fruit and vegetable wash. Bob authored books and shares real-life stories of his business ups-and-downs in his weekly newsletter “the Workaround” - which you can subscribe to @ beheartly.substack.com This is a feature of an Alumni Leader’s frequently published thought leadership. Got an idea for a future “Learnings from Leaders” episode - reach out at pgalumpod@gmail.com